Kolkata: There are already dozens of cases that central agencies are probing in West Bengal.
One more was added to the list on Thursday, just three weeks before Assembly polls in the politically-charged state.
This one is over a shocking incident in Malda, where seven judicial officers engaged in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise-related work were held hostage by protesters a day earlier.
Following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the Election Commission of India (ECI) roped in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the Malda incident, reported ABP Ananda. The West Bengal CEO initially said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will investigate the case, but ECI later informed NIA will carry out the probe, reported ABP Ananda.
The probe report will be submitted to the Supreme Court by April 6.
What happened in Malda
Seven judicial officers, including three women, were surrounded by a mob at a BDO office in Malda’s Mothabari area. The protesters, allegedly upset over deletion of names from the electoral rolls, held the officers hostage for nearly nine hours.
The judicial officers, appointed to examine SIR-related voter list discrepancies affecting over 60 lakh electors, were trapped as the crowd blocked all exits.
As the tension grew in the area, urgent calls were made for administrative and police intervention. There were reports of stone-pelting and attacks on vehicles in which the judicial officers were travelling.
Even when they were finally escorted out around midnight, protesters chased their vehicles and tried to block the roads.
National highways, state highways and other roads were blocked, bringing Malda district to a standstill. NH-12, a key artery connecting North and South Bengal, was choked for hours.
Trinamool Congress and BJP blamed each other for the unprecedented hooliganism.
Supreme Court pulls up West Bengal administration
The Supreme Court came down heavily on the West Bengal administration over the “deplorable” gherao, calling its inaction a “complete failure”.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said it was not only a “brazen attempt” to browbeat the officers, but amounted to a challenge to the authority of the top court.
Describing the state as the “most polarised” in the country, the apex court ordered an investigation by a central agency and directed the ECI to deploy adequate central forces to ensure the safety of judicial officers.
On the Supreme Court’s directive, hundreds of judicial officers have been deployed to function as Election Registration Officers and adjudicate objections raised by voters excluded from the electoral roll during the SIR.
